Carlyle now a rarity among NHL coaches

If he makes it to the end of his new contract, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle will have served in his role for nine seasons.

It would only further the notion of how much Carlyle is the rare figure among NHL head coaches, especially in an era where Cory Clouston gets three seasons to prove himself and John MacLean can't last six months into his first gig. (Or, for that matter, the Barry Melrose and Rick Tocchet blink-of-an-eye eras in Tampa Bay.)

Carlyle, 55, will enter his seventh season guiding and cajoling the Ducks, which will be the same length of time that his predecessor, Mike Babcock, will have spent in Detroit leading the Red Wings. Only Buffalo's Lindy Ruff and Nashville's Barry Trotz have been with their teams longer.

Not that rough-around-the-edges Carlyle spends his days and nights thinking about that.

"I look at it probably as something after you are done that you have been able to grind out a career and earn an opportunity to stay in one situation for an extended period of time," Carlyle said. "When you are involved in it on a day-to-day basis, it's not like I'm sitting here after the season or during the season thinking what it's going to be like coaching somewhere else.

"That is not what we're about. My job is to prepare the Anaheim Ducks to win hockey games and to do the best job I possibly can to have these players represent not only this sweater, but this city and organization in all facets of the community. That is first and foremost. That is not going to change."

Talking about his seniority among current coaches is something Carlyle didn't want to focus on during his conference call but he eventually acknowledged how fortunate he's been able to build some tenure in a position where most get canned by their employer, often sooner rather than later.

"As far as feeling good about it? Yeah, there is some satisfaction with it," he said. "But again, there is pressure that comes with it too. You have to deal with the pressures of coaching and preparing your group. When you don't have success, it's a lot more difficult than when you do. Sometimes even when you do have success, it's not enough."

Carlyle has certainly tasted his share of success as his supporters and detractors can chew on a resume that includes five playoff appearances in his six seasons, the best mark in franchise history in terms of wins and winning percentage and, of course, the 2007 Stanley Cup triumph.

Ducks GM Bob Murray has often jumped to the defense of his coach, especially during the perennial slow starts that have led to calls for his firing. But those slow starts have usually been followed by tremendous second-half pushes into the playoffs.

The latest example was last season when the Ducks went 29-13-1 after a 4-1 loss to the Kings on Dec. 26.

"He's a good coach," Murray said. "We are always competitive. No matter what kind of team we throw at him, he finds a way to make the team try to win. Sometimes it's not as good a team as other teams. He takes what you give him and tries to win.

"He does very well at it, as his record indicates. He's a good coach. His record speaks for itself."

Murray and Carlyle said they began to talk about a new contract after the Ducks' first-round playoff loss to Nashville and that talks picked up more once after the draft in June. Carlyle said "there weren't really a lot of contentious issues" but noted that "it just took more time than normal, I would say."

His boss pointed out how Carlyle has been able to win with a changing roster, particularly as talents like Bobby Ryan and Cam Fowler have come aboard and made their way into the NHL.

"That is something that has evolved with not only our team, but over the league, the younger players coming in," Murray said. "He has his way with the young guys. He also took [Ryan] Getzlaf and [Corey] Perry as kids too. The players are changing and he has to stay up with that. I think he's done a good job with staying up with how they have changed."

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